External bone conduction hearing aids function by transmitting vibrations through the skull to the cochlea. In order to function properly, a portion of the bone conduction hearing aid must be in constant contact with the head in order to transmit the vibrations to the bone of the wearer. Because the bone conduction hearing aid must be held against the head, significant pressure is required to hold the base of the hearing aid in place. Conventional bone conduction hearing aid devices are typically held in contact with the wearer's skull by a fastening stud embedded in the mastoid bone of the wearer, a headband made of spring metal, or by a tightly fitted elastic headband. Infants and small children typically cannot have a fastening stud embedded in their skull because the skull is not hard enough to support the stud. Accordingly, infants and small children must typically wear headbands secured against the wearer's skull. As a result of head movement, children must often use double-stick tape to secure the device to the head. The use of tape on a wearer's head often results in red sore spots, allergic skin reactions to the tape, and/or the pulling out of the wearer's hair. Because the headband must be tightly fitted on the wearer's head, the headband can also cause painful indentations on the wearer's head and pressure headaches.
The elastic headbands conventionally used to hold a bone conduction hearing aid in contact with the skull of a wearer are typically made of stiff brightly colored narrow elastic. These devices cannot be moved from the elastic headband to other conventional headwear such as hats or bonnets. Bone conduction hearing aids include a microphone that must be exposed to the air in order to properly receive vibrations. Accordingly, hats and the like cannot be placed over conventional elastic headbands that restrain a bone conduction hearing aid against a wearer's skull because the microphone would be blocked.
A need remains for a hearing aid fastening device that allows a wearer to wear both a bone conduction hearing aid and conventional headwear such as hats or bonnets or the like.